December 21st, 2019: Way up in the Callaghan Valley on the back side of Mount Sproatt is an abandoned gold mine. Old cement foundations and two unexpectedly beautiful lakes mark the location of Northair Mine, abandoned in 1982. For about 5 years it was a fairly productive gold mine that extracted 5 tons of gold. Largely forgotten for years, in the last decade it has come to life with colour of graffiti artists and muralist.
New this past year Kris Kupskay, aka Kups has created a marvellous mural on the broad, south facing, outside wall of the cement foundations. The walls were almost completely free of paint just a decade ago. In 2014 some murals started appearing, including the blue Get to High Ground mural and the Robot Snake by REKO in 2014. In 2019 Northair Mine has become pretty beautiful with a staggering collection of murals and graffiti art. With uneven collection of foundation walls you find yourself wandering around as if looking at an art exhibit.. which it sort of is. Especially when you consider Kris Kupskay is a much in demand, professional muralist. His new Ravens mural has definitely given the place a surreal and beautiful aspect to it that it never had before. Northair Mine has always been a pretty surreal place, hidden up in the wilderness and the addition of beautiful and colourful murals makes it even more special. Northair Mine is located way up in the beautiful Callaghan Valley. From Whistler Village, drive south on the Sea to Sky Highway for 13.8 kilometres and turn right onto Callaghan Valley Road. Drive up into the Callaghan Valley for 7.6 kilometres and just after you cross the bridge over Callaghan Creek turn right onto the Callaghan Creek forest service road. The gravel road is pretty good for the first couple kilometres until you make a sharp left turn and the road deteriorates quickly. Still manageable by most vehicles, however there are a couple very deep waterbars that might surprise you.
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